Having drifted into the First Punic War, Rome and Carthage both marshaled their forces and shipped them to Sicily. The Carthaginians sought to establish the city of Acragas as their base of operations due to its strategic location in southern Sicily and proximity to Roman-controlled territory. Similarly, the Romans besieged Acragas to cut off the Carthaginians from this vital port. Under Hanno, a Carthaginian relief army complete with sixty elephants met the Roman legions in a full-scale battle which resulted in a costly Roman victory. As the Carthaginians retreated westward, the Roman Senate realized that Rome now had the opportunity to wrest Sicily from Carthage forever. Before she could do that, however, Rome would have to challenge Carthage on her own element: the Mediterranean Sea.

Link to the Layman's Historian website

Link to my Map of the Mediterranean World Circa 300 BC

Link to the Episode 21 page on the Layman's Historian website

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